Please explain Sonic Restaurant to me

[maslex]

I have been to Sonic once (a few years ago, so I can't really remember )

Anyhow, it's not necessarily a "restaurant" right? Meaning, you don't go in and sit down? I remember sitting on a picnic table when we went years ago, but I also remember seeing these "order boards" in the parking spots. Am I right?

I'm thinking of stopping by one next week and I want to make sure I don't look like a fool.

Can you order from your parking space? Do they bring it out to you?

And there's a commercial out right now for a cheesy bacon hot dog on a pretzel bun. Now THAT sounds good. Can someone tell me if they've already had one.....did you like it?

 

[pianokey]

You can order from your car in the parking spot or get out and order from one of the "picnic tables" outside. The server will bring your food to you.

There is no inside seating.

I haven't been there in awhile, so I haven't tried the cheesy bacon hot dog.

 

[mamacatnv]

Most of the Sonic's in our area have a few outside tables and plenty of bays for cars to park, order and eat in the car. Our local Sonic also has a drive-thru. I personally am not a fan. I don't like the food and I don't like eating in the car. We occasionally pick up milkshakes and a cone for the dog but usually we use the drive-thru lane.

Some of the servers bring your food to you while wearing roller skates. This varies depending on the locations. Our local Sonic has a few skaters.

 

[luvsJack]

Its a drivie-in place. You either order from your car and have your order brought to your car or you can order at a central place and sit at a picnic table.

I love their drinks and onion rings and dd likes their mozzarella sticks. DGD loves to go there and get ice cream.

 

[WRWDisney]

Everyone has covered that, yes, it is a drive-in. To your second question, I happened to have the cheeses bacon pretzel dog last week. It was even better than it sounded

It had diced sautéed onions in it as well.

Just don't make my mistake and order two! Thatis a lot of food and if you then look up the nutrition info...

Try one with some tots and a Route 44 Cherry-Lmeaide.

 

[bookgirl]

I have been to Sonic once (a few years ago, so I can't really remember )

Anyhow, it's not necessarily a "restaurant" right? Meaning, you don't go in and sit down? I remember sitting on a picnic table when we went years ago, but I also remember seeing these "order boards" in the parking spots. Am I right?

I'm thinking of stopping by one next week and I want to make sure I don't look like a fool.

Can you order from your parking space? Do they bring it out to you?

And there's a commercial out right now for a cheesy bacon hot dog on a pretzel bun. Now THAT sounds good. Can someone tell me if they've already had one.....did you like it?

I live in the state that is home to Sonic, so I've been going there my entire life. Love Sonic. Best ice ever.

We all LOVE the pretzel dogs. I only get mustard as the cheese sauce has onions in it and I don't do onions.

However the buns need to be fresh. The can get tough after they have sat a while.

Sonic is a drive in for the most park so park and order. They have crazy numbers of drink flavors.

Thier slushes are really good as are the limeaides (I do cranberry limeades and they are very tastey). You can also get a cream slush (a slushie that's mixed with thier soft serve).

I'm not overly fond of their food in general, but get hot dogs, corn dogs and chili cheese tots. Oh and when they run them I get PickleO's.

Hope you enjoy it.

 

[maslex]

Okay, thanks. I will plan on a pretzel dog next week. MMM.

I don't like lime so I don't see myself having a limeade even though I hear they're really good. So I'll just have a Sprite. Maybe splurge and get a milkshake. I'm thinking of either getting the mozz sticks or the tater tots. I figured I can get fries anywhere so why not try something new. (well, I've had tater tots and mozz sticks before, just not here)

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I've gone through the drive-thru a few times. The picnic table idea sounds fine, but I have never tried it. I do however have some kind of hangup with eating in a car... I don't know why, but it sounds so unappealing to me. Maybe I am weird.

 

[bookgirl]

Okay, thanks. I will plan on a pretzel dog next week. MMM.

I don't like lime so I don't see myself having a limeade even though I hear they're really good. So I'll just have a Sprite. Maybe splurge and get a milkshake. I'm thinking of either getting the mozz sticks or the tater tots. I figured I can get fries anywhere so why not try something new. (well, I've had tater tots and mozz sticks before, just not here)

I sometimes get a Sprite Zero with lemon (they use cut lemon wedges so it's really fresh and zingy).

 

[zurgswife]

Milkshakes are awesome.

 

[Straitlover]

OP, if you like strawberry and lemon, try the strawberry lemon slush. Yum!!! Chunks of real strawberries in it, not artificial flavoring. Love it!

 

[Squirlz]

Some have inside seating. It just depends on which one you are going to.

 

[jdb in AZ]

I've gone through the drive-thru a few times. The picnic table idea sounds fine, but I have never tried it. I do however have some kind of hangup with eating in a car... I don't know why, but it sounds so unappealing to me. Maybe I am weird.

It's probably a generation thing. Drive-in restaurants were popular when I was a teen, and often went there with a carload of friends, especially after high school football and basketball games. Some of the servers -- called carhops -- were on roller skates.

 

[smschex]

We always get a Coke Zero with either vanilla or cherry. Yum!! Be careful ordering a Route 44. 44 oz is ALOT to drink!

http://www.sonicdrivein.com/MenuSection/ultimate-drink-stop
This will help you look at a few choices before you go.

 

[bcla]

Every location has a different design, but all have parking stalls with a board to the left for the driver to push a button and wait for the order to be taken via an intercom. Most also have regular parking spots where the customers can go out and sit at a table. The majority of locations are outdoors, but some are indoors. Usually the seated area has more tables than order board/intercoms, so it's up to the Sonic employee to find who ordered what.

Many of the carhops come out on rollerskates or rollerblades.

The one I go to the most is in Vacaville, California. They have a seating area inside, but it has an open gate (must have a sliding door when closed). Most outdoor areas are simply covered and open on three sides.

The only one I've been to that actually has indoor seating with a closed door and A/C is the one in Kayenta, Arizona. This is right on the Navajo Reservation and I suppose it gets really hot during the summer. I can't find any photos of the indoor seating area online, but this was one different. I think there was one main board on the wall without an intercom, and each table had an intercom box.

 

[MnMomtoboys]

I am now craving a diet cherry limeade. Yum Yum.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I could eat a SuperSonic Breakfast Burrito every day

 

[SandrA9810]

Onion rings and mozzarella sticks are better than the tots which are better than the fries.

Milkshakes are half priced after 8pm everyday in the summer. A huge 2,000 calories shake for just $2. What could be better? At least Texas doesn't have the calorie count on the menus like California. At least they have mini size in a 12oz cup vs the large in a 32oz cup.

 

[tvguy]

I don't like eating in the car..

You, and the head of Mercedes Benz who fought putting cupholders in Mercedes cars. He made no bones about not understanding why Americans don't stop, get out of their car, go in a coffee shop, sit and drink their coffee, then resume driving.

 

[scrapquitler]

Most of the Sonic's in our area have a few outside tables and plenty of bays for cars to park, order and eat in the car. Our local Sonic also has a drive-thru. I personally am not a fan. I don't like the food and I don't like eating in the car. We occasionally pick up milkshakes and a cone for the dog but usually we use the drive-thru lane.

Some of the servers bring your food to you while wearing roller skates. This varies depending on the locations. Our local Sonic has a few skaters.

Ditto. Drive thru, picnic tables on the patio (order from the order board on the patio) or order from your car, and the carhop brings it to you. We go for happy hour to get drinks, or after 8pm for half price milkshakes. We never eat there because we really don't like the food. But we do love the drinks.